Dependable
by Infatuated-Simplicity
Summary: Sasuke finds that when he is at home he can sleep, even dream, without worry. But he is not the only one in his family that struggles with sleep. He has missed too much, far too much. And more than anything he wants them to depend on him. Family life. SasukexSakura Oneshot.


Authors note: I have no idea exactly when this would be set but sometime after Sasuke starts coming home more often, so a little after the Shin fight. I realise that Sarada seems quite small in this but she is quite small physically in the anime and it would not be farfetched to think that she might turn to her parents for comfort no matter the age. she is somewhere around 12 here I think. In any case I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters.

* * *

The house was quiet and the air was warm. So much nicer than his recent stint up north. He was asleep and for the first time in a while it looked like he might actually doze off completely, instead of that half zombified version of rest that all nins tended to excel at whilst on missions. One could not let their guard down. That is not the say that he did not sleep at all, he just did not sleep deeply. But right now, in the comfort of his own home he was as asleep as he ever got. It had taken him a whole week of being back in Konoha, sleeping in his bed every night, before he had been able to get to this point and he begrudgingly admitted to himself that he was quite pleased with his progress.

He'd had peaceful interludes of sleep over the course of the last week and last night he had even managed to dream, which was unusual. He was not going to complain. He was just going to enjoy it. And it was dreaming which caused the problem.

He had thought he was dreaming, albeit having a night mare, when the ear splitting noise reached him. For an instant he had no idea what it was. It did not take long for him to recognise it. The sound was too familiar not to. Only when he felt Sakura bolt straight up in bed did he realise that this was no dream. Someone in his house was screaming. And if it was not Sakura then it had to be...

Simultaneously, and almost getting stuck in the door way as they both tried to get through at the same time, they managed to race to the room down the hall. He reached out for the door, sharingan spinning and a kunai in his hand, but found that the door was already opening. Sarada stood in the shadow of her doorway. His daughters proud jaw, normally set in it's ways in a manner that reminded everyone of him, began to tremble and her lower lip quivered.

"Ka-san!" she cried letting loose a river of tears as she launched herself past him and into her mothers arms. Pink hair swayed back and forth as she rocked their daughter in a gentle motion. Sakura squeezed Sarada and patted her head in comfort.

"It's alright sweetheart. It was just a dream. To-san and I are here." Sarada did not seem to hear what her mother said, as she did not look up, but instead continued to cry. Sakura coo'ed and soothed the girl until the tears ebbed and all that was left was the occasional hiccup. With one final sniff Sarada glanced up at her father and then looked back to her mother's bright green eyes.

"Ka-san, will you stay with me until I fall asleep again?"

"Of course," Sakura said brushing hair away from their daughters face. Sasuke shifted, feeling a little uncomfortable and more than a little overlooked. He watched as his wife guided their daughter back to her bed, tucking her in before laying down on the covers. She was a natural at this and it reminded him of years past when his own mother had comforted him in a similar fashion. Sakura hummed a pretty song that he did not recognise but they both seemed to. More quickly than he expected he heard little snores erupt from the covers. Sakura gave Sarada a gentle kiss on the brow and caressed the girls cheek.

Silently the pair made their way back to their room, which felt more like hers despite her efforts to make it a place that he would wish to stay in. He disposed of his kunai, not quite sure where he had gotten it in the first place, onto his bedside table. Sakura sighed and pulled back the covers waiting for him to join her.

"Does this happen often?" he asked with more concern than he normally showed.

Sakura blinked at him for a moment and then tilted her head. "Sort of... every couple of weeks or so," she said thinking over the problem.

Sasuke scowled. "How long?"

"A little while now. About a year," she said with a troubled expression, but also a great deal of calm and understanding. He remembered her time with the children's physiological clinic. No doubt she had dealt with similar situations, and some that were far worse. "Lots of kids go though a phase like this. Shinobi more than most."

That was true. Still it did not make him feel any better about it. The idea did not sit well in his mind. She was so young... yet when he thought about it he supposed he had similar events occur to him when he was her age and younger. She was growing up far too fast for his liking.

Sakura watched him carefully, something she did often in an attempt to figure out what was going on underneath his impassive expression.

With a huff he turned off the light and sat down on their bed, which she took to be the end of their conversation. She did not like to pry. He would tell her what was on his mind when he was ready. It was a few moments later that his voice called out to her again. "She didn't come to me..." He sounded confused rather than hurt, but she knew that under it all that would be there too, even if it did not show. She placed a hand on his arm gently pulling him down on the mattress and to a place where she could rest her head on his shoulder.

"Sasuke-kun... She just isn't used to you being here to turn to." Her hands caressed his face. "Give her a little time. When she gets used to you being here she will lean on you."

He knew she was probably right but a part of him wanted to take back the heroics and turn back time to stay home with his family. He had missed a great deal. Far too much in fact. His daughters childhood had flashed before his eyes in a muddle of dirty camp sites, treks in the rain, and horrible cold nights spent sleeping on the ground. But he could not take it back. Time marched on.

He felt his wife move to bring herself close to his face. In public he might have turned away but in the confines of their room with only the two of them as witnesses he melted into the open expression of her love. The first kiss landed on the corner of his mouth where that smirk that she found to be so pesky often teased her. He turned his head and nuzzled her face finding her lips in the dark. Normally he would have continued this to its natural conclusion. He was not often in the same bed as his wife so he made the most of it when he was, but for now he was content to keep her tucked in his embrace and began to fall back asleep with the gentle rise and fall of her chest on his.

* * *

"Sarada! If you don't hurry you'll be late!" Sakura called down the hallway. Their daughter brushed past Sasuke who sat at the table with brows raised. He had never been one for early mornings and definitely not noisy ones. Both his wife and daughter were bright and chipper, moving around each other in a practised fashion that they had fallen into over the years and he felt it best not to interfere too much. Eventually Sarada joined him at the table. He watched her gobble down some rice and fish before attempting to rush out the door.

"Wait!" Sakura called leaning down. "Lunch," she said holding a bag out to Sarada, who readily accepted it. "Kiss!" she demanded sticking her cheek out which Sarada begrudgingly pecked. Sasuke knew that look. The young girl was pretending to be agitated but he could see through her. The little quirk of her lip gave her away. With a smile Saukra motioned Sarada over to the table, sending the genin over to Sasuke. He looked at his daughter who surprised him by pecking him on the cheek as well.

"Bye Ka-san! To-san!" she said as she scampered down the hall.

"Be safe, have fun, learn loads!" Sakura called after her as the door closed behind her. Sakura clasped her hands with a smile. "Oh, she's just so cute!"

Together they sat down and Sakura was eating almost as quickly as their daughter had. With her soup downed and her coffee thrown into a to-go mug she grabbed her equipment and her keys. "Sorry Sasuke-kun, I have a few surgeries booked for today, but I should be back before Sarada." She leaned over to kiss his other cheek on her way out. "I love you!"

He found himself alone in an empty house. He did not have anything to do really. Naruto was busy these days as was everyone else he knew. So he trained and made lunch. While he quietly ate his tomatoes he looked around.

There were pictures everywhere, mostly of Sarada, but there were many familiar faces scattered around his home. There were so many pictures of his girls on the walls and tucked away in books. There was some pictures of him, not many, but some. Most were from his genin days which made sense. He wandered around looking at all of the memorabilia strewn about the house. The more he searched the more he found. Tucked in every corner was something to remind him of what he had missed. School photos, ribbons, drawings, a pair of baby shoes and so many other items that he marvelled at as he continued to discover more and more. He did his best to put it all away, but that it seemed was impossible. With so many dug out he inevitably had left a few in the open.

Before he knew it the sun was setting and he could hear the jingling of keys in the door. Sakura floated through, straightening things that he had moved around as she passed through the hall. "Tadaima, Anata!" she called out spotting her husband standing near their old team photograph. She dropped her things on a side table and left a chaste kiss on his lips. She tidied up a little bit, noting that her husband must have been in the mood to reminisce. She smiled and started to prepare dinner.

Sasuke watched her tidy and then cook carefully. She was in a pleasant mood, for a number of reasons if he had to guess. The first and most obvious was that he was there, which was usually enough to make her day brighten considerably. He was not always sure why this was the case, but he was not going to mock her or question something that made him just as happy. The second reason was one that everyone in the village should have been pleased by. Her hospital rotation had gone well and all of her surgeries had been a success. Now was as good a time as any he was likely to get to broach the subject on his mind.

Dinner was almost ready when he approached. "Did you need something Sasuke-kun?" She asked chopping up some vegetables for a salad. He smirked. Unlike the old days he actually had to put in effort to catch her off guard, something he sometimes forgot. He would have to try harder next time. He liked seeing that look of surprise and frustration that crossed her features when he caught her unawares.

"Ah," but for now he had better things to focus on than teasing her. "I want another one," he said boldly watching her from the far end of the counter top.

Her chopping stilled for second as she took in his words. As quickly as it stopped it started up again, slicing through the vegetables with expert precision. "Another what?"

The question was innocent enough he supposed. He had assumed she would know what he meant and perhaps she did and just wished to be absolutely certain. "Kid. I missed most of it the first time."

She narrowed her eyes at him. She was no fool. The pictures and items that were strewn about when she walked in were all the ones that would have brought such a thought to mind. Team photos, baby pictures, a few of Sarada's academic achievements and lots of images of her and her daughter... It even made her want another baby sometimes when she looked at them, but she remembered things he would not, of course.

"Oh, no," she said with a scowl and Sasuke could not help but be confused. He thought she would be excited. She certainly had been when they found out about Sarada. Her scowl brought a frown to his face and he thought it over quickly. His countenance relaxed slightly. There was more than one way to get what he wanted. Before he could object or coerce her, she held her knife up in his direction like an extension of her arm. "I don't think so. And no amount of stubbornness, charm, or seduction is going to help. You try it and I will drop kick your ass to Suna."

The frown was back tenfold, in part for being read so easily. The other part was upset for being denied. "Why not?" he asked tersely.

"I am not about to have another baby on the road. Nor am I going to raise another child by my self." She placed a hand on her hip and then let her stern visage loosen a little. "Don't get me wrong. Sarada is wonderful and I wouldn't change anything that happened but I am not doing it again. You hear?" The glint in her eye and the steel in her voice told him that she was serious. He heard, loud and clear.

With a sigh he sat down at the table and watched as she placed her knife down. "And what if I was to tell you that Naruto is determined to finish up my mission by the end of the year?"

She paused for a moment, taking his words into consideration. She stirred a pot and began to toss the salad as he waited. Eventually she came to a decision. "I'll believe that when I see it. And not just in writing, but your ass here in this house more often than not." It was not a scolding so much as fact, but a large part of him still felt guilty at her apprehension. She was right though. He had been on a quest to clear his name, make himself a better man, and ultimately earn the love that had been so generously offered to him by the beautiful kunoichi before him. Perhaps he had done enough. After all this time it might just be what he needed, this idea that she alluded to without actually saying the word.

"You mean retirement..." he clarified. He knew that she thought he was adverse to the idea. The word used to make him cringe, but things had changed. Too many cold nights in desolate locations had made him weary. Too many nights away from his family had made him long for the warmth of home.

Sakura shrugged and turned off the heat on the stove. "Not necessarily. The odd mission is nice to get the blood flowing. Besides there are plenty of things that you could do here in the village." She took a pause and thought back to "You could always head the police force..."

Sasuke mulled over it for a moment. "Alright."

"Alright, what?" she parroted back.

Sasuke frowned. Of course she knew what he meant but she was going to make him ask. This was important, so he was willing to do so but normally he would have scowled and fallen silent for at least the night if not a few days. "If I do this, we can have another kid?" he asked, setting aside his considerable pride to ask his wife a question that on it's face seemed simple, but was anything but that. Pride be damned, he wanted this and if asking meant he got the answer he wanted then he would ask a million times.

"If you do this we can have as many as you want." She was still young enough to have a couple more if that was what he really wanted. She knew there was a part of him that wanted a male Uchiha, that part of him that still wanted to see his family name continue on. She wanted to chuckle. He probably had not realised it but she doubted any man would convince Sarada to give up her clan name.

Sakura was too busy giggling to herself to notice the hand that reached out for her. With a gentle tug on her wrist Sasuke had her firmly planted on his lap. The gasp she let out made him grin with pride. There was that look he liked so much. When Sakura was surprised her eyes widened and he could see the varying shades of green that made her irises glow in such a hypnotising manner. He was not worried about her moving as he slipped his hand up to cradle her back and kissed her. He felt those powerful fists grip onto his shoulders as their lips moved against each others in that purposefully languid manner that he knew she had always appreciated most. A mewl of feminine satisfaction escaped her as he deepened their kiss, leaning her back sensually as her fingers slipped into his dark hair.

They were too caught up in each other to notice the creek of the front door opening, nor did they notice the footsteps getting closer. It was not until the drop of a bag hit the ground near by did Sasuke realise someone was there.

"To-san! Ka-san!" Sarada exclaimed watching her parents with bright eyes that looked at them in joy and so much excitement at having caught them being affectionate.

Sakura blushed and went to move but was held firmly in place by her husband who was having none of it. He did not say anything, just nodded to the girl silently in greeting. Sakura could not seem to shake the blush, but did her best to form coherent sentences, a problem she tended to have after her generally enigmatic husband decided to express himself in such a way. "Sa-Sarada, g-go wash your hands. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Sa-ku-ra." She heard her husbands voice at the shell of her ear as soon as their daughter rushed into the other room and could not help the shiver that ran down her spine. He knew that she loved it when he said her name that way. She could see the twitch of a smirk start at the corner of his lip and smiled.

"Come home for good, then we'll talk," she promised. He let her up and felt at ease. This was where he was meant to be, here with his girls, in his warm and loving home. He allowed a small smile to grow as Sakura and Sarada sat down, bringing dinner with them. Their smiles warmed him to his core as he enjoyed a meal with his family. He nodded firmly, to himself more than anyone else, determined to speak to Naruto first thing in the morning.

* * *

Sasuke was glad to be back again, just as he always was. He had not been away as long this time but that did not make his relief any less palpable. And he had fallen back into the habit of sleeping in his home much more quickly than he thought he would. This time it had not taken days. He had one restless night and then he had been fine the next.

So he was thrilled now on his third night home to be fast asleep and resting for the first time in a little while, his wife's form snuggled up next to him as she had taken to since having him back more often. They had waited until they were sure Sarada had been asleep before falling into a sensual embrace, both taking advantage of the fact that the other was in the same bed, behind the same closed doors. It was happening far more often and he found that just being around his wife brightened his view of the world considerably. He had known this from the years that they spent in Konoha together, but it was proving to be true once more. He doubted that would ever change.

Now they were spent. Sakura had just enough energy to put on a nightie before passing out next to him and he was not far behind. He did not remember these pajama pants. He would have to ask Sakura where she got them. They were comfortable and he slipped into the darkness of a dream like breathing, everything around him lulling him into a state of security.

Until he heard a scream in the night. Thankfully this time he recognised it almost immediately. Sakura did too and once again they were scrambling to reach the room next door. It seemed Sarada was ahead of them, standing out in the hall way waiting for them. Her little face was lacking its glasses but she knew where she was and who she was surrounded by.

"To-san, Ka-san!" she cried sniffing and wiping at her eyes. She did not like crying in front of her parents, particularly her father, but it could not be helped. The things she had seen in her dreams warranted tears. Sakura went to step forward but then held back, signalling to him with the barest jerk of her head. Sasuke was not sure what to do but he had seen Sakura comfort their child before. He held his arm out for his little girl who fell into the hug with a hiccup and a trembling lip.

He kissed the top of her head awkwardly, a motion he had seen Sakura do before and let the precious child cry as he carried her back into her room. He placed her down on the bed and sat next to her, noting that the mattress dipped as Sakura joined them. They sat waiting for Sarada to fall asleep again while Sakura hummed that little tune he had heard before.

He knew she would tell him later that she had been right, and that of course their daughter would come to rely on him if given the chance, but he did not mind. He was just pleased and very thankful that she had been right. Sarada now saw him as dependable.

He felt Sakura's hand on his leg and saw her small but abundantly proud smile in the darkness of the room. He had done well. When Sarada was asleep once more she stood bringing him with her and together they went back to their room passing a table with a scroll on it. He would have to remember to show her the document in the morning. It was not his ass in the house every night, not yet, but it was a step closer to their goal. He was coming home.

* * *

End comments: Yes, I know that the likely hood of them having another kid is slim. So far there is only Sarada. I have also seen some arguments that Sasuke would want to avoid having more children in an attempt to avoid the situation that he and his brother were put into. But I also think that he would remember the relationship he had with Itachi before the massacre and might want that for his daughter as well. I think he wants to be an active father and just does not really know how, but he still wants the opportunity. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this. As always I have no beta reader but I do my best so please forgive any mistakes you find. Also reviews are always appreciated but no flames please. Until next time!


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